NASCAR announced Wednesday that it had suspended Clements indefinitely for violating its Code of Conduct by making an “insensitive and intolerable” remark at Daytona. Clements confirmed to ESPN.com Thursday that he used a racial slur. Clements, a 28-year-old Nationwide Series driver, made the remark following the drivers meeting for the Nationwide race on Saturday. He has declined to disclose what he said and his remark had not previously been published or broadcast.

NASCAR is sending Clements to sports diversity expert Dr. Richard Lapchick, director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports at the University of Central Florida, before he'll be allowed back in his car.

Beckerman, who was covering the Daytona 500 for his MTV blog, said he talked to Clements with a NASCAR employee.

"I was there to do a fish-out-of-water story about going to NASCAR and having a wild, crazy weekend,” Beckerman told MTV News. “And, we were doing interviews with many of the drivers, and I was on the way to another interview — we were looking for [driver] Johanna Long's trailer — and the NASCAR publicist called Mr. Clements over and asked him for help finding her.

"He walked us toward where she was, and on the way over, I explained to him that Guy Code is rules for guys, how you treat your friends, how you treat your ladies, things like that. I was there to do a humor piece, so I asked him what would be Guy Code for racecar drivers, and he blurted out [a phrase that used the n-word]."

Beckerman told MTV News that Clements did not use the phrase in reference to a specific driver, but was saying that "if you drive roughly, you'll be treated roughly."

Beckerman said he wrote the quote down but did not record it. Clements admitted making the comment when contacted by a NASCAR official on Sunday, he told ESPN.com.

Beckerman said that Clements called him on Thursday to discuss the comment and say that he regretted making it.

"I don't know him well enough to know if that reflects anything in his heart, but he said he doesn't harbor these feelings,” Beckerman told MTV News.

Beckerman said he considered publishing a story about the comment. While discussing it with his editors, he was contacted by a NASCAR rep who informed him that Clements had been suspended for the remark.

"We had not even intended to necessarily publish it, because our site is a humor site for men, we aren't the New York Times, we aren't investigative journalism,” Beckerman told MTV News. “It didn't fit with our blog. The fact is that NASCAR made this a national story, and then Clements explained a bit of what he said to ESPN ... I never wanted to be part of the story."

Clements told ESPN that his remark was racial “in context” but was not aimed at any specific person.

"When you say 'racial' remark, it wasn't used to describe anybody or anything," Clements told ESPN.com "… I was describing racing, and the word I used was incorrect and I shouldn't have said it. It shouldn't be used at all."

Clements, who has publicly apologized for the comment, said he was emotionally distraught over the incident.

“I'm pretty hurt, for sure,” he said. “I've never gotten into trouble with NASCAR. Not one time. We're just a small family team, just trying to survive and run the whole season. This is our third full season. And I was supposed to be on a plane right now going to Phoenix to race.

"And then this hit me late [Wednesday] afternoon. I've known about it since Sunday night, when I got a phone call. But I did not think it was going to be like this. I just thought I'd be fined like most normal guys have been fined. But not suspended for this.

“But I'm going to do what they want me to do so I can get back in the car as soon as possible. I think it's a little harsh, but it's their rules. It's their game."